2023 St. Louis Players to Watch: Linebackers
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As we are headed into the middle of May, the 2023 high school football off-season is in full swing with teams and players preparing for the upcoming season. As has been the case for quite some time now, the city…
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Continue ReadingAs we are headed into the middle of May, the 2023 high school football off-season is in full swing with teams and players preparing for the upcoming season. As has been the case for quite some time now, the city of St. Louis is abundant in talent on the gridiron. With that in mind, I wanted to take a look at some of the top returning players in the city heading into the 2023 high school football season. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have turned my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the defensive line out of the way, I will now focus on some of the top returning linebackers in St. Louis in 2023.
Carter Enyard Carter Enyard 6’2″ | 220 lbs | LB MICDS | 2024 State MO is an incoming senior linebacker that has been very impressive so far in his career. As a junior, Enyard finished with 67 tackles and seven sacks. He is an athletic outside linebacker that does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill in a hurry to defend the run. Enyard and the speed to burst off the edge and get into the backfield before anyone has a chance to block him. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he is a very reliable tackler in the open field. He is also very reliable in pass coverage, coming away with two interceptions this past season. Carter currently holds offers from UNLV, Bucknell, Northwest Missouri State, Kent State, and Western Illinois, and I expect that list to grow as he is a Division I caliber linebacker.
Highlights
Norman Lane
Norman Lane
Norman Lane is another incoming senior linebacker that has caught my attention. He is coming off an impressive junior season in which he finished with 60 tackles and four sacks. Norman lines up at inside linebacker and is very dangerous when asked to blitz. He does a great job of timing the snap count and using his speed to burst into the backfield before anyone can block him. Once he gets to the quarterback, he does a great job of finishing the sack. Against the run, he does a great job of reading his keys and flowing to the ball quickly. On his way to the football, he has shown the ability to fight through blocks and is a very reliable tackler once he gets there. Lane doesn’t currently hold any offers but definitely deserves some attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.
Another linebacker from the 2024 class that has stood out to me is Ashton Phillips Ashton Phillips 6’1″ | 220 lbs | LB DeSmet Jesuit | 2024 State MO . He is coming off a solid junior year in which he finished with 58 tackles and two sacks. Phillips plays inside linebacker and is a dominant run stopper. He does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill in a hurry against the run. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he explodes through contact to secure the tackle. Phillips also has shown some ability in pass coverage, coming away with one interception last season. Ashton currently holds one offer from Benedictine College and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.
Playing alongside Phillips on the De Smet defense is incoming junior Jason King Jason King 6’2″ | 210 lbs | LB De Smet | 2025 State MO . King is coming off an impressive sophomore season in which he finished with 90 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, and a fumble recovery. While he mainly lines up on the inside, King has shown the ability to play outside the box as well. He has a high football IQ, showing the ability to read the play and react quickly to get to the football. Once he gets to the football, he is a very reliable open field tackler. King has also shown the ability to defend the pass, coming away with two interceptions this past season. Jason currently holds offers from Kentucky, Toledo, Marshall, Illinois State, Kent State, Iowa State, and UNLV, and I expect more to come his way as he is a true Power 5 caliber linebacker prospect.
Highlights
Bryant Pool Jr.
Bryant Pool Jr.
Another talented linebacker from De Smet that has caught my attention is Bryant Pool Jr. He had a solid sophomore season, finishing with 32 tackles, one sack, and a fumble recovery. Pool is an outside linebacker that is very impress against the ball. He does a great job of reading the play quickly and flowing to the ball. Pool also has shown the ability to use his speed shoot his gap against the run before anyone can have a chance to block him. He has also shown some ability in pass coverage, coming away with an interception last season. Pool has yet to receive any offers but will be a player to watch as his role on the De Smet defense continues to grow.
Mekhi Mixon Mekhi Mixon 5’11” | 190 lbs | LB Cardinal Ritter | 2025 IL is our top-ranked linebacker in his class for the state of Missouri and he has proven to deserve that honor. Mixon played a key role in Cardinal Ritter’s Class 3 State Championship run this past season, finishing with 85 tackles and a sack. He lines up as an inside linebacker and plays with a very high motor. Mixon does a great job of reading his keys and getting downhill in a hurry to defend the run. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Mixon finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality. He has also shown the ability to open up and drop into pass coverage effectively. Mixon currently holds offers from Arkansas, Ball State, Louisville, Indiana, Iowa State, Miami (OH), Minnesota, Boston College, Colorado, West Virginia, and Ole Miss, and I expect that list to continue to grow as he is a Power 5 caliber prospect.
Highlights
Lance Walker Lance Walker 6'2" | 240 lbs | LB CBC | 2025 State MO
Lance Walker Lance Walker 6'2" | 240 lbs | LB CBC | 2025 State MO
To wrap up this list, I have incoming junior linebacker Lance Walker Lance Walker 6’2″ | 240 lbs | LB CBC | 2025 State MO from CBC. Walker had a solid sophomore season, finishing with 27 tackles and a fumble recovery. He lines up at outside linebacker and uses his speed to his advantage as a pass rusher. Walker has shown the ability to burst off the edge and run right by opposing offensive tackles. He has also shown the ability to drop into coverage, coming away with one interception last season. Against the run, Walker does a great job of reading the play and getting to the ball quickly to make tackles in the open field. Lance doesn’t currently hold any offers but should be a player to watch over the next two seasons as his role in the CBC defense continues to grow.